Hotel Metropole
Also known as: Plaza Books; Paper Vision
Why it's listed
Built in 1908 on Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz, this three-story commercial and hotel building was commissioned by Duncan McPherson, editor and publisher of the Santa Cruz Sentinel, and constructed by contractor Charles Kay. The hotel offered forty-eight furnished rooms for transient and permanent guests, while the ground floor held shops, including a millinery and a grocery. Later it was renamed the Hotel Al Rose and then the Hotel Drake, and it was occupied until 1961. A department store used the consolidated ground floor until 1976. The late Italianate facade features a bracketed cornice, paired windows with triangular and arched pediments, and acanthus decoration in pressed metal, a material that replaced more expensive plasterwork. Leaded amethyst glass panels sit above the storefront. The building is considered a unique local example of this commercial style and contributes to the scale and continuity of the Pacific Garden Mall, a locally designated historic area.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a unique Santa Cruz example of turn-of-the-century late Italianate commercial architecture, with pressed-metal ornamentation standing in for costlier plaster work. It is also described as an important part of the Pacific Garden Mall streetscape. Its history is tied to Duncan McPherson, publisher of the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 79000553, listed May 23, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1111 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz |
|---|---|
| County | Santa Cruz County |
| Listed | May 23, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000553 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1908 and 1940 |
| Architect / builder | Charles Kay, Contractor (1908) |
| Architectural style | Italianate (late Italianate commercial) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Ground floor is in commercial use as a bookstore and paper shop; the hotel rooms on the upper floors are vacant. The hotel was occupied continuously until 1961. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 36.97188, -122.02593 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 79000553.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18350113
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.